Blind Faith
by Laney Lock
Summary: Elliot Stabler trusts his partner with his life, but he doesn't always trust her with her own. But when things aren't as they seem, he'll have to learn to step back and let her handle herself; whether he likes it or not.


The squad room was filled with activity, as it was on any other day. Three detectives sat at their desks, finishing paperwork that always seemed to be shunted aside and neglected, paling in comparison to the active cases that needed to be solved.

One desk was conspicuously empty, its owner absent from her position without an explanation. The others couldn't keep their eyes from drifting towards the vacant chair, before shaking their heads and checking their phones. It was extremely unusual for Olivia to be late.

Captain Cragen strode purposely from his office, armed with a case and an address, as always.

"Stabler, where's your partner? We've got a case."

Elliot looked up at his boss, a lie ready on his lips, but he paused for a minute, contemplating his options. Any other day, he would have covered for his partner in a heartbeat, but today was different.

Olivia hadn't called in a rush and on her way. In fact, he hadn't heard from her since he'd left work the night before. If something had happened, if she was in trouble, it wouldn't do her any good to make the Captain believe that everything was alright.

"I've been calling her for an hour, and I just keep getting her voicemail."

Cragen's eyes crinkled with concern as he handed the address he'd jotted down quickly on the back of a cafe receipt to Munch.

"I'll look into it, I'm sure she just slept in. In the meantime, John, you and Fin head down to Mercy."

"Rape victim?" Fin asked, slipping out of his chair and reaching for his jacket.

"No. Domestic abuse. There's a women there that's pretty banged up. The vic's unconscious, but there's a nurse who's seen her before. Says it looks like the abuse is escalating. Try to get her to talk."

"That's usually Liv's department. I don't know how much she'll want to open up to us."

"Yeah, I know," Don sighed, sitting on the edge of Olivia's desk, "Do the best you can and Elliot will go check Benson's apartment."

The detectives moved off, each having their own tasks, but the same thoughts swirling in the back of their minds.

_Where was Olivia?_

_

* * *

_

Munch and Fin arrived at the hospital and were immediately greeted by the nurse who had called the case in. As she led them to the woman's room, they asked her to explain her suspicions.

"Thank you for coming. I knew the minute I saw her today that I needed to call someone. I've seen her a few times before, but this time it's much worse. She only made it to the front desk before she collapsed."

"And there's no way the injuries could have been caused by an accident?"Munch asked, speeding up to match the busy nurse's pace.

"Not a chance, unless those stairs she fell down had hands. The bruises are pretty distinctive."

"You did the right thing," Fin assured her, "We'll look into it. She awake yet?"

"Yeah, she came to a few minutes ago. You'd better hurry if you want to talk to her, though. She's already signing the discharge papers."

She paused when a younger nurse bustled up next to her, looking frazzled and holding a chart.

"Maggie? Mr. Gradson needs a fresh IV."

"I'll be right there, Anna. Thank you, detectives. I really have to run, now, but she's in room B15."

"Wait," Fin called, and the nurse turned to listen, "You got a name for us?"

"Yeah, just give me a second."

They waited as she ran her nimble fingers along the creases of the colorful file folders stacked on the counter. Finally, she pulled one out and flicked it open.

"Here it is. Olivia. Olivia Benson."

With those final words, she left to take care of her other patients, leaving two stunned detectives to stand there in shock and horror.

* * *

Olivia sighed as she shrugged her jacket on and looked down to find her shoes. Her body was aching and she'd barely gotten any sleep the night before, leaving her drained and weary . All she wanted to do was take a long, hot shower to steam her pains away and crawl back into her warm bed.

Glancing at her cell phone, she thought about calling in sick to work, turning the idea over and over in her head until it took a smooth, appealing shape. She had just begun to dial Cragen's number, an apology ready to spill out, when a knock on the wall startled her out of her daze.

Before she had the chance to answer, the curtain around her bed was being pulled open.

"Olivia? Is it all right if we come in?"

Hearing the familiar voice of her coworker, Olivia froze, dropping her cell phone. Off all the people who could have been in the hospital that morning, John Munch was the last man that she'd expected.

"Yeah," she choked out, voice rebelling and rattling in her throat.

The curtain was flung open the rest of the way, and _two_ faces appeared, sending her already swiftly beating heart into a wild frenzy.

"What are you two-"

"Abuse victim. Said she fell down the stairs, but the nurse is saying something else."

Fin trailed off and stared pointedly at the prominent bruise that decorated her left eye. Following his eyes, her own widened in realization, and she put her hands up to ward off the concern that she knew was coming.

"Look, that isn't what happened."

"Shocking," Munch drawled, taking her shoes off the chair behind him and handing them to her. Hanging onto the bed rail to steady herself, Olivia started to slip them on, averting her eyes the whole time.

She grabbed the last of her things and walked off, not bothering to wait for them to follow. They did anyway. The trio reached the parking lot and searched out the sedan that Munch and Fin had brought with them, Olivia having taken a cab.

"I'm fine," she sighed, pausing and turning to face them, "It isn't what it looks like, and it's nothing that I can't handle."

"Yeah, it sure seems like you have it all under control. How bad are you anyway?"

The car door slammed as she slid into the back seat, already irritated by their questioning. She was definitely taking a sick day if this was what she would have to put up with at work all day.

"A couple cracked ribs. Mostly just bruises. Now, if we don't have any actual cases, I'd like to go home."

The two partners shared a long look, before John put the car in drive and headed for the parking lot exit.

"At your service. But just in case you want to know, Stabler's at your place now in the middle of a full blown conniption because you won't answer your door."

"Have fun," Fin muttered distractedly, rifling through the glove compartment to find some kind of painkiller to pass back to her. There had to be something in there, leftover from a headache filled stakeout…

Olivia leaned her head back and pressed her eyes shut tight, taking a deep breath and trying to process everything.

Well, this just sucked.


End file.
